Mechanisms of Action Archives

Changing negative autobiographical memories in the lab: A comparison of three eye-movement tasks (Memory)

Study testing if eye-movement tasks that load working memory while thinking of a memory reduces the emotionality/vividness of this memory.

Dual-tasking during recall of negative memories or during visual perception of images: Effects on vividness and emotionality (Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry)

We tested the effectiveness of an experimental intervention that consists of elements from virtual reality (VR) exposure therapy and EMDR.

Developing the Interrater Reliability of the Modified EMDR Fidelity Checklist (Journal of EMDR Practice and Research)

While EMDR treatment fidelity measures have been cited in past research, none have been subject to any empirical investigation of reliability.

Psychological and brain connectivity changes following trauma-focused CBT and EMDR treatment in single-episode PTSD patients (Frontiers in Psychology)

Neuroimaging data suggest a similar clinical improvement following EMDR and TF-CBT, with changes of bilateral temporal pole connectivity.

Neural circuits underlying a psychotherapeutic regimen for fear disorders (Springer Nature)

Results reveal the neural circuit that underlies an effective strategy for sustainably attenuating traumatic memories.

Fear extinction learning improvement in PTSD after EMDR therapy: an fMRI study (European Journal of Psychotraumatology)

Participants underwent a behavioural fear conditioning and extinction paradigm during functional magnetic resonance (fMRI).

Eye-movement intervention enhances extinction via amygdala deactivation (Journal of Neuroscience)

This article “demonstrates that goal-directed eye-movements, like working-memory tasks, deactivate the amygdala, the core neural substrate of fear learning.”

How Does Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy Work? A Systematic Review on Suggested Mechanisms of Action (Frontiers in Psychology)

Literature review examining EMDR mechanism of action or provided conclusions within the framework of theoretical models of EMDR functioning.

Metabolic and Electrophysiological Changes Associated to Clinical Improvement in Two Severely Traumatized Subjects Treated With EMDR-A Pilot Study (Frontiers in Psychology)

EMDR showed clinical improvement in PTSD symptoms associated with metabolic & electrophysiological changes in limbic and associative cortex.

Effects of Saccade Induced Retrieval Enhancement on conceptual and perceptual tests of explicit & implicit memory (Brain and Cognition)

Results revealed that saccadic horizontal eye movements enhanced performance in only the conceptual explicit condition.

Use of the Flash Technique in EMDR Therapy: Four Case Examples (Journal of EMDR Practice and Research)

Flash technique, used during the preparation phase of EMDR therapy to facilitate processing of intense, traumatic memories.

The Role of Slow Wave Sleep in Memory Pathophysiology: Focus on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (Frontiers in Psychology)

At a neurobiological level, memories recorded during extreme stressful situations cause maximal amygdalar synapses, storing the events.

Mechanisms of Action

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